Parks and Recreation Resurfaces After Disbandment

Brown Act Violation? Another Attempt by City to Exclude Public?

Two agenda items (below) at the July 14, 2011 City Council Meeting referenced consultation with the "Parks and Recreation Committee".

No Public Notice of a meeting of the Committee had been seen on the Notice Board or City Website.

If the Parks and Recreation Committee is composed of substantially the same people as the Commission and providing input on similar matters to the City, Public Notice of the meetings and an opportunity for Public Comment is required under the Brown Act.

At the March Parks & Rec Meeting Chair Vipperman announced that Public Comments would be neither recorded nor broadcast and would be moved from the beginning to the end of the meeting. At the April 4, 2011 Parks and Rec Meeting she ordered the City cameraman to turn off the recorder when it was time for public comments. A Special Meeting about whether to broadcast Parks and Rec at all was held April 7th, and their vote to disband 5 days later.

Discussion over televising and disbandment included not wanting to broadcast public comments, editing other public comments if they did not approve of them, and whether changing to a Committee would allow them to not take public comments at all.

Barring or Intimidation of Public?

The City has had a string of episodes in recent months that suggest a leaning toward excluding or intimidating the public.

While these incidents suggest use of Sheriff Dept personnel for non-patrol uses, the Council voted to cut the Sheriff Budget at the June Council meeting.

The proportion of time patrolling the city, acting as staff bodyguards, or council "muscle" has not been released.